Folding leg for trunks.



B. C. BAIN. FOLDING LBQFOR TRUNKSL. APPL10ATI0N FILED JUNE z, 1910.

995,942, 'Patented June 2o, 1911.

b1 IIUHUUHH y ROBERT C. BAIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING LEG Fon TRUNKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application 1ed June 2, 1910.

Patented June 20, 1911.

serial No. 564,647.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. BAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldingl Legs for Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in folding legs for trunks, the object being to provide legs for rigidly supporting a trunk at a distance from the Hoor to render the same more accessible, and to so construct the legs that the same may be readily folded and be held in that position against all probability of accidentally unfolding while in transit.

A further object of my invention is to provide trunk legs as said which shall be simple of construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable, and efficient in operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trunk showing my improved folding legs attached thereto, Figs. 2 and 3 are front elevations showing the construction and manner of folding the legs, Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line w-w of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of a leg.

The preferred form of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises castings 1 which are secured to a side of the trunk 2 adjacent the corners thereof by means of screw-bolts 3. Each casting 1 comprises vertically disposed flanges 4 arranged at each side of a leaf spring 5 which is secured to the casting by means of a screw-bolt 3, said flanges being provided to permit longitudinal swinging of said spring on the casting. A portion 7 of the casting 1 is adapted to project under the edge of the trunk and to be secured thereto for rendering the connection of the casting to the trunk more secure. Formed intermediate then anges 4 is a slot 8 with which the projection 9 of a leg 10 is adapted to engage when in the vertical position.

A recess 11 formed in the flange 12 is provided to receive the projection 9 when the leg is in the folded position as shown in Fig. 2. The substantially ltriangular proj ection 13 being provided to engage one edge of the leg when in the folded position and the opposite edge when in the vertical position. Each leg 10 comprises a projection 9, as aforesaid, and a longitudinal slot 14 through the screw 15 passes into the casting 1, said slot being provided to permit of limited longitudinal movement of the leg on said screw. A segmental recess 16 is formed in the rear side of the leg in order to provide clearance for the projection 13 when the leg is moved from folded to the vertical position or vice versa. Extending inwardly from the spring 5 at the lower end thereof is a sharp pin 17 which is adapted to project into theslotV 14 for holding the le in the vertical position, and into a hole 18 ldisposed adjacent the slot 14 for holding the leg in the folded position.

The operation for moving each leg into the operative or vertical position is as follows: The trunk is turned on its side or end, then each leg is drawn to the dotted line position as shown in Fig. 2 after first moving the spring 5 to the dotted line position with the hand, thus disengaging the pin 17 from the hole 18. The segmental recess 16 will now be in registration with the projection 13 so that the leg will turn freely thereover, and the projection 9 will be disengaged from the recess 11. After swinging the leg to the vertical position the same is forced upwardly, thus causing the projection 9 to enter the slot 8 and the pin 17 to automatically spring into the outer end of the slot 14. Thus each leg is securely locked in the vertical position, and in order to fold the same the operation is reversed after first disengaging the pin 17 from the slot 14. It will be noted that each leg when in the folded or vertical position is given rigidity by the projections 9 and 13, the former being adapted to engage opposite edges of the leg and the latter to enter either the slot 8 or the recess llf'raccording to the position of the leg.

While I have shown what I deem to be the preferable form of my invention I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be various changes made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts described; and hence I desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as will fairly fall within the spirt and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a trunk, of a member secured to the side of the trunk, a trunk leg having a slot and pin connection with said member and a latching hole at one side of saidslot, a projection on the slotted end of said leg, there being recesses formed in said member adapted to receive said projections upon longitudinal movement thereof when said leg is in either its extended or folded positions, and a spring catch for locking said trunk leg in either its extended or folded positions, said catch beingprovided with a locking dog adapted to enter said slot or said hole, substantially as described.

2. A trunk having a plurality of members secured to the sides thereof to which folding legs are pivoted, each of said members comsemelle prising vertically disposed flanges between which a slot is formed, a leaf spring having an inwardly projecting locking pin mounted between said flanges, there being a recess formed in each member of approximately the same dimensions as said slot, a centrally arranged screw mounted in each member, and a triangular projection formed on each member, one of said legs being pivoted to the screw of each member by means of a longitudinal slot formed therein, there being a hole in each leg for the reception of said locking pin and a segmental recess providing clearance to permit the passage of the leg over said triangular projection, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT C. BAIN.

Witnesses HELEN F. LILLIs, JOSHUA R. H. Po'rrs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

